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8 <br />Assessment of the instream flow needs of fishery resources in the <br />eastern United States is confronted-by two major problems. First, the <br />only site-specific methods currently being used to assess instream <br />flow needs in the East were developed for salmonid populations in ti <br />coldwater streams in the West; their applicability to eastern streams <br />that may be water quality- or food-limited has not been rigorously <br />examined. The numerous other methods that were also developed in the <br />West have, with few exceptions, never been used in the East. Second, <br />the concern for instream values over the past 20 years produced a <br />wealth of information on the habitat requirements of salmonids, but a <br />comparable data base for warmwater species, the predominant fishery <br />resource in much of the East, does not exist. As a result, resolution <br />of conflicts among various uses of water, especially instream use for <br />hydroelectric generation versus protection of fish and wildlife <br />habitat, may be more difficult in the East. <br />1.2 Environmental Regulations Related to Instream Flow <br />y <br />r <br />Major federal legislation provides a framework for evaluating the <br />environmental impacts associated with water resource development <br />projects, including the alteration of. natural flow regimes below <br />hydroelectric facilities. The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of <br />1934 and 1958 requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission <br />(FERC), the agency responsible for the regulation of nonfederal <br />hydroelectric dams under the Federal Power Act of 1920, as amended, to <br />consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the appropriate <br />state agencies to ensure that fish and wildlife conservation needs are <br />adequately considered. Such consultation may result in an instream <br />flow recommendation to protect fish and wildlife habitat. The FERC is <br />also required to consult with the Council on Environmental Quality and <br />the Environmental Protection Agency under the Public Utility <br />Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978 (Corso 1979).